Teen who was 15 when he raped woman sentenced to 45 years

Updated 6:38 pm, Wednesday, July 18, 2012

A Houston teenager who admitted breaking into a 38-year-old Katy woman's home and raping her was sentenced to 45 years in prison Wednesday.

Schyler Hill, who was 15 at the time, used a sharpened half-scissor blade to threaten his victim's life in her home during the April 28, 2010 sexual assault.

State District Judge Maria Jackson decided Hill's fate after seeing the results of a pre-sentence investigation and hearing from the victim, who said describing the assault in open court was the most gut-wrenching thing she had ever done.

The woman encouraged victims of other crimes to come forward despite the fear. "I think it does help the victim," she said. "I feel empowered. If I can do this, I feel like I can do anything."

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Defense lawyers for Hill were incensed that prosecutors argued for a life sentence for the first-time offender who was certified to be tried as an adult.

"This was a 15-year-old with no prior criminal history, no juvenile history, no adult history, and he ended up in adult court," said Eric Davis. He said prosecutors made a plea offer of 45 years before Wednesday's sentencing. "Habitual offenders get offered less time on similar allegations," Davis said.

He said Hill got a lengthier sentence because prosecutors value victims differently.

"We ought to value victims all the same, but in this case, I got the impression this victim was valued more than in other cases," Davis said. "She wasn't a woman who was poor, she wasn't a woman who was a minority, she was well-to-do."

The 18-year-old will have to serve at least half of the sentence before being eligible for parole.

"What Schyler Hill did in this case was beyond brutal, the details are absolutely horrifying, and it's something nobody should have to live through," said Assistant Harris County District Attorney Lacy Johnson. "I think Judge Jackson made the right decision."

The victim's husband offered good luck to Hill after the sentencing.

"It's heartbreaking to see someone this young ruin their life," the husband said. "But he brought this battle, he chose this battle, not us."